Another interesting article from Business 2 Community has explored in more depth some of the most effective ways in which to manage data as part of a CRM system.The old saying rubbish in means rubbish out apply here or better still you only get out what you put.

Maintaining the quality of data is obviously a key part of the process, so it is worth taking a look at some of the tips.

Clear out anything that is too old

One of the most important factors in keeping data useful is to ensure that it remains accurate. Once it has reached a certain age, it is unfortunately more likely to be irrelevant. Therefore, it is a good idea to avoid using data over a couple of years old.

If you purchase data lists make sure it is current and don’t be bamboozled by offers of cheap data or a lot of data for half price, odds are in the long run it will cost you more in wasted calls and cleaning out.

Do not buy data that is over a year old

As a general rule, all data lists that are purchased will have a bounce rate - around 30% is typical. Third party lists are more likely to be less valuable once they have gone past a year or so. However, there is no substitute for building your own data!

Having integrated system that records information from your web site and social media sites will help your business grow a faster list of active prospects that could become customers.

Track bounces

Whilst it can be tough trying to motivate yourself to always stay on top of data, it is a good idea to invest time in genuinely analysing data periodically to ensure any information that ‘bounces’ can be scrapped.

This is easy if you have an extended solution like eCampaign from MyCRM http://downloads.mycrmgroup.com/eCampaign.aspx because your CRM can easily become an effective marketing machine but there are other options on have internal process to check data updates.

Train sales reps to update the data

It is important that those within the company are trained to pro-actively monitor the data within the CRM system.If you make this an important part of training for any new employees, you will end up with a more efficient, less clogged-up data set.

If you’re looking for some help with your Microsoft CRM then MyCRM can help as we aim to help deliver effective CRM. You can see what our current customers say here: http://www.mycrmgroup.com/customers.aspx, but more importantly we want your business to succeed with the use of a great software solution.

MyCRM has over 20 years’ experience in understanding how CRM as a technology and CRM as a process can work in business and has therefore developed a number of off-the-shelf extensions to enhance CRM productivity.

We offer from our own fully managed datacentre a licence per user Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform, you can see more about using MyCRM as a managed service here: http://hosted.mycrmgroup.com/

As an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) we offer a range of pre-built application extensions for your Microsoft CRM Solution. You can get access to a range of products for Microsoft Dynamics CRM from the MyCRM download centre here: http://downloads.mycrmgroup.com after registering for an account.